


Qualities of Light

by amandaskankovich



Series: you're the answer [2]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-16
Updated: 2014-06-16
Packaged: 2018-02-04 20:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1791781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amandaskankovich/pseuds/amandaskankovich
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mascara is smeared all over all of Karen’s pillow case’s</p><p>"It’s just…you don’t wear mascara honey." Her mother says and then looks at her more closely squinting like maybe she needs glasses,"Do you?"</p><p>Maybe her mother does need glasses. In addition to all the other shit she so desperately needs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Qualities of Light

Mascara is smeared all over all of Karen’s pillow case’s

"It’s just…you don’t wear mascara honey." Her mother says and then looks at her more closely squinting like maybe she needs glasses,"Do you?"

Maybe her mother does need glasses. In addition to all the other shit she so desperately needs.  
A better husband.  
For one thing.  
Well her husband’s dead now so that’s a start.  
*  
"I think there’s something wrong with me."  
"There’s something wrong with everyone." Mandy tells her lifting her sleepy face off of her side of Karen’s pillow leaving two black smudges behind.  
"Lip keeps texting me."  
"Oh yeah," Mandy says and now she’s looking up at her, "You gonna text back?"  
And Karen shrugs then says, “Why don’t you just wash your face before bed? It would take like two seconds.”  
Mandy shrugs, “Who has time for that?”  
"I’m just saying it can’t be good for your skin."  
And Mandy smirks, “There something wrong with my skin?”  
Karen looks at her.   
Mandy’s skin.

*  
So back before she had finally convinced her mom that there was no fucking way she was ever going to college so there was no fucking way she was signing up for any psat prep course her mother had tried to help her improve her daughter’s vocabulary with one of those word of the day calendars.   
And whatever the word of the day would be would end up being the word of the fucking day.  
All day.  
Her mother would greet her at breakfast, “Isn’t this morning beautiful? Not like yesterday with all that rain. Yesterday was so opaque don’t you think?”  
Karen would make the mistake of wearing a non pastel shade of nail polish and her mother would go, “Hmm not my taste but I have to say you pull off this particularly opaque shade very well honey.”  
And she’d keep doing that and she’d do that all fucking day until Karen would either have to just leave the fucking house or look up the stupid word.  
And the really shitty thing was she’d read the definition just once and it always stuck.  
She’s not going to college.  
But she’ll know what the word opaque means until the day merciful alzheimers finally sets in.   
One day the word had been luminescent.

*  
"Your skin’s fine," Karen said, "now anyway. I just wouldn’t push my luck by caking it on night after night."  
"Fuck you," Mandy replied, "I don’t cake it on."  
She turned and closed her eyes like she was planning to go back to sleep,”Sorry some of us can’t pull off the barely any look.”  
"Are you fucking serious right now?" Karen said actual disbelief registering in her voice forcing Mandy to open her eyes, "You think you need make up?"  
The conversation had taken an unexpected turn for the serious.  
"Sometimes," Mandy said, "Yeah I guess."  
*  
Adj. 1.luminescent - emitting light not caused by heat  
light - characterized by or emitting light; “a room that is light when the shutters are open”; “the inside of the house was airy and light”  
*  
"Well that’s bullshit," Karen replied typing Can’t busy tonight. Sorry. into her phone and hitting send.  
"It’s not that I think I’m fugly or anything. I’m just…I don’t know kind of pale."  
"Some people go for the spooky looking," Karen replied putting down her phone and she slide closer to Mandy and reached her hand up the other girls shirt, "Hey I have an idea how about this Halloween you go as sexy Casper?"  
"Oh fuck off," Mandy said laughing and squirming as Karen’s other hand made its way under Mandy’s panties.  
*  
luminescent  
adjective glowing, shining, fluorescent, radiant, luminous, Day-Glo, phosphorescent, effulgent a ghostly luminescent glow  
*  
And then her tongue made it’s way into her mouth.  
*  
The qualities of light.  
*  
Shirts come off.  
*  
ablaze adjective aglow adjective backlit adjective blinding adjective bright adjective (LIGHT) brilliant adjective (SHINING) coruscating adjective dazzling adjective floodlit adjective fluorescent adjective (LIGHT) glaring adjective (SHINING) gleaming adjective glittering adjective (BRIGHT LIGHT) glittery adjective glossy adjective incandescent adjective (LIGHT) lambent adjective light adjective (BRIGHT) luminescent adjective luminous adjective lustrous adjective moonlit adjective opalescent adjective optical adjective phosphorescent adjective shimmering adjective spangly adjective sparkling adjective (BRIGHT) sparkling adjective (INTERESTING) sun-drenched adjective sunlit adjective torchlight adjective ultraviolet adjective wet-look adjective   
*  
Mandy is naked and glowing in the moonlight and Karen wants to take a picture.  
Mandy would never let her take a picture.  
Take a mental one. Close your eyes and click.  
Keep it there until the alzheimers sets in and don’t even let that take it away.  
Her arms around you.  
Her toes curling under you.  
Her marks on your pillow.  
Keep all of it.  
*  
"Okay that was fun," Mandy laughs into her ear after.  
"Oh yeah," Karen says, "So much fun."  
Mandy is heavy and warm and next to her and they get quiet.  
They always get so quiet after.  
It’s starting to feel on purpose.  
It never did before.  
"Um," Mandy says eventually, "yeah I really have to pee."  
Karen moves to let her go and then without thinking because well it’s there Mandy walks past her and Karen slaps her on the ass.  
Mandy looks at her, “Oh you bitch!”  
And Karen replies,” What? It’s a compliment.”  
Mandy gives her the finger as she grabs Karen’s shirt off the floor.  
Her panties.  
Puts them on and says, “Hi,” to Karen’s mom walking past her in the hallway.  
Says no thank you to an offer of hot chocolate.  
*  
And when Mandy walks back in and climbs back into bed Karen smells the soap and feels the dampness radiating off her face.  
She doesn’t say anything.  
But Mandy replies, “If I had to hear your mom comment on the pillow cases one more time I was going to have to offer to do laundry. I do enough of that at home.”  
And Karen says, “Yeah okay,” But she can’t help it.  
She smiles.  
And there’s just enough light in the room to see Mandy smiling back.  
And you’d want to call that smile indescribable.  
But it isn’t.  
There’s a word for it.


End file.
